Knowledge Library

How to Save Advertising from Its Three Worst Faults

This material is
drawn from Dan's new book "About Face, the Secrets of Emotionally Effective
Advertising," to be published in October 2010.

So
what are the three most essential keys to doing better?

Casting is crucial.A dozen years of research has led me to realize that the talent cast, especially in TV spots, but in print ads,
direct mail and web sites too, can create a swing of as much as 30% in
preference, even when all other variables tested are identical, i.e., tagline,
product shot, layout, design, etc.

Fundamentally, we
have more positive emotional responses to, and
prefer to buy from, those who have "stage presence," and
project likeability and authenticity. Fake, or social smiles, are the bane of
advertising.

Unfortunately, most
talent is chosen through a casting process that by its very nature leads to the
selection of actors given to putting on fake
smiles, rather than true ones (in which the muscles around the eyes relax),
which are signaled by a twinkle in the eye. Often actors "fake smile
lingers too long, comes across the face too quickly, or departs too fast, in
what I call the "guillotine smile."

Meanwhile, portrayals
of negative emotions - sadness, fear or surprise
(which should last a second or less) - are often more problematic.

Worse, executives who
appear in their brand ads are more prone to inauthentic acting than
professional talent. Since trust is the key emotion of business, good casting
and authentic performances are crucial to creating engaging, persuasive
advertising.

Our normative
database indicates that both drama-based ads,
and ads that rely on testimonials, struggle to
drive purchase intent. The biggest culprit in execution being off-emotion acting
that undermines the delivery of on-message claims.

Simplicity is sweetNevertheless, most clients suffer from
message-itis, in the desperate hope that adding one more claim, benefit, or
fact will somehow carry the day and lift market share. It won't.

Meanwhile, most agencies love special effects and add more camera
angles and edits than the average viewer can follow. Cut! I've found that
frustration is the hidden emotional cancer of advertising: typically, 20% to
40% of emotional responses consumers during
initial exposure to an ad qualify as frustration. Why? People don't feel they
"get" what's going on.

That's no way to grow market share. Neurobiology
has shown that forcing people to over-think causes them to under-feel, to drop
out, just when creating an emotional connection is essential, given that the
emotional part of the brain processes 10 times as much data as the rational
brain. Lose people emotionally and you lose the sale.

Provide
a sense of change or other form of tension.Half the brain is devoted to processing
visuals. To leverage that brainpower, motion is vital. That could be anything
from a change in people's expressions, to the movement of people or objects, a
change of settings, or animated imagery.

Stimuli in motion
works because the mind is geared to notice changes in the status quo, which
represent threats (survive) or opportunities (thrive). Either way, people will
be motivated to heighten their awareness.

Moreover, in getting
people to focus on change make sure the motion is placed in the middle of the
screen, or layout, so that it commands both eyes. We instinctively focus on the
middle field of vision, or on things moving into the middle field. What's
visually peripheral is also mentally peripheral.

Finally, in regard to
change there's the often-necessary option of depicting change not only by
literal motion, but also from a change in plot line. Many an ad involves a problem/solution scenario, or other form of contrast.
The problem is that often the cautious client won't agree to depict the problem
in a heartfelt manner.

Unfortunately, when a
problem isn't deeply felt, its' solution won't be seen as valuable. In other
words, Milquetoast depictions of human discomfort or disappointment aren't
compelling and don't drive purchase intent.

At the end of the
day, or spot, if you want your ads to pull, make them sincerely address a
heartfelt problem in a realistic manner via an authentic depiction. And, ask
the CEO to stay in his office.

The idea that brands are underspending in digital is a common assumption that needs to be tested. Some brands are already spending a huge portion of their marketing budget in digital, and this is growing

The industry as of late has been abuzz with the pending ad blocking apocalypse. Reactions have been mixed: some publishers are indifferent while others think the sky is falling. However, publishers shouldn’t panic just yet. This latest round of ad blocking doesn’t spell the end of the digital advertising world.

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Effective marketing is becoming more and more of a challenge these days, because the customer is well-informed, interacts through multiple channels, uses their peers as a primary information source and wants the best customer experience possible.